Random Thoughts On Friday

Hey, there is the Berea Craft Fair this weekend! Go there!

I was again watching the show, "Last Comic Standing" this week. Another "comedian" took a cheap shot at Kentucky. This one wasn't as bad as the last one.

The guy said he was driving through Kentucky and he came across a klan rally. For the record, I have driven across the state, north, south, east and west, and I have never stumbled across such an event.

it is raining here, FINALLY. It has been hot lately.

Postcard: Here's to Old Kentucky

I found this used postcard, postmarked 1948 recently.

The Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge, TN

Pigeon Forge has another great new attraction. I have not been inside yet, but it looks great from the outside! The museum, built to look like the legendary ship, is stunning when you see it from a distance. It is a bit intimidating, actually.

I have been to several of the touring Titanic exhibits, and I am always amazed at all of the well preserved artifacts. I look forward to getting to see this one inside too.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers- Lexington

When I was going to school in Berea years ago, it was such a treat to get to Lexington. At the time the town had THREE malls (2 of which are now defunct). A trip to Joseph-Beth was a must each time we came to Lexington.

Joseph-Beth was in what was until recently the Comp USA store. Even then it seemed huge.

Then, the bookstore sort of took over the mall. It moved out of its side store location and moved to the center mall area.

I remember the first time a friend took me there. I felt overwhelmed. It was a fantasy bookstore. I figured there could not be a more perfect place to buy books anywhere.

At that time, I recall that I was trying to find some obscure books. I asked a staff person at JB if they had them. Some they had, but a couple they did not have in stock. They were able to order them for me.

I do enjoy going to small used book stores, and hunting for an odd out of print book now and then. Still, Joseph Beth is my home book store. When friends visit from out of town, the place is a must stop.

On a side note, when I lived in Cleveland, a great Joseph Beth store opened in the Shaker Square area. I worked in that area, and was able to stop by at least once a week. Just like the one I remembered in Kentucky, the place was cozy, and had a great book and magazine selection. I was so excited about that store! Unfortunately, that store closed (a second Cleveland store opened at Legacy Village. The Cleveland area actually had 2 Joseph Beth stores for a month or so before the Shaker one closed).

Cincinnati has a store too. I like them all, but I am happy to be able to go to the Lexington one every chance I get.

Postcards: Salem, Mass.

I know, these have nothing to do with Kentucky, but they are from Salem, and that is one of my favorite destinations.

They are not dated, and they are unused. The top one is the House of the Seven Gables. The bottom one is of the famous ship that is usually accessible and you can tour it. I love seeing the ship when I am in Salem.

Postcard: Liberty Memorial at Night, Kansas City, MO.

In Kansas City, this Memorial has a lot of history to it. It was left a bit neglected for some time, but it is back and it still looks great! The top postcard (canceled 1934!) reads:

Overlooking the Union Station from a commanding site on Memorial Hill, stands Kansas City's war memorial built by popular subscription at a cost of approximately two and one-half million dollars. The cornerstone was laid in 1921 in the presence of General Pershing and the military leaders of the various Allied nations. In 1926 the completed structure was dedicated by President Coolridge. It was designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle.

The bottom one is postmarked 1947. It reads:

This monument cost $2,500,000 and bears the following inscription- "To perpetuate the Courage, Loyalty, and Sacrifice of the Patriots who offered and who gave their services, their lives and their all in defense of Liberty and the Nation's Honor during the World War."

Postcards: Mammoth Cave... again

Two more great Mammoth Cave postcards found at an antique shop recently. Both are unused. The left one reads:

Niagara Falls reproduced in onyx is 50 ft. wide and 75 ft. high. This huge formation on close examination resembles a series of massive, beautifully colored icicles, each one holding its own individuality from top to bottom. It is impossible to get a photograph that does full justice to this frozen display which surpasses by far anything yet discovered in cave formations.

Kentucky Fudge Co. Harrodsburg, KY.

http://www.kentuckyfudgecompany.com/



I have stopped by the Kentucky Fudge Company lately while in Harrodsburg. This is a great place to stop for lunch or a snack in a great area.


I think of this place as more of a sandwich and coffee place, but they have a nice menu of everything. I have had great ice cream here!


I had a white Reuben here that was perfect. I am craving one right now.



The staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy. It is in an old pharmacy, and it is set up in a very similar way to the previous occupants. In fact there is a black and white photo in the front showing the shop a few decades earlier. It still looks very similar. The cases along the walls house many old pharmacy items. It is museum like in it's displays.

Postcards: Mammoth Cave

The top postcard reads on the back:
The Bridal Altar is one of the oldest and most historic features in Mammoth Cave. Many couples have been married at this spot."

There are no dates on these unused cards.

The Creme Coffee House Owensboro Kentucky

I have mentioned it before, but "The Creme" in Owensboro deserves more mention. It sets on the next block over from the museum, near the bridge and downtown.

The guys that have caringly put this relaxing hang out in downtown have done a service to the community. In my books it has done a lot for downtown.

They set up their shop in an old downntown building (when I have been there, they have had a photo album setting out showing the work and progress on putting the place together). The brick walls, the appropriate but not overwhelming art work, and the attractive bar area make this place perfect.

I have had some great coffee and cake here too.

I have found myself here on Friday and Saturday evenings, usually when I pop in town on a day or weekend trip, and I always leave happy. The atmosphere is calm, even if there is a bit of a crowd. They have that nice back patio area too. I am not going to put a picture up of that area, you have to see it.

Downtown Owensboro still looks good and has a lot of potential. I like walking around the area just to take in the history, and the dated buildings. The light and colors of this coffee shop really stand out. I hope the area gets some more businesses in, but this little coffee house alone is enough to get me to come downtown.

Check out my picture of The Creme.

Random Thoughts On Friday

I am sure every knows about the bear attack in the Red River Gorge. I have heard the guy is OK, and I am glad to hear that!
I remember seeing pictures of a bear in the Natural Bridge area I think from 2002. The photos were at the sky lift gift shop.
This morning, I heard that they think the bear has moved along to a different area.

I have been a fan of the show "Last Comic Standing" since it's first season. I enjoy catching comedians whenever I can. I have honestly seen hundreds of them live.
I am not easily offended. I am not very PC, and I am OK with almost any joke. You can make a hillbilly joke around me, that's OK.
For the first time in my life, I may have heard a comedian that touched on a subject that got to me in a negative way. On the show, a comedian referenced a very tragic event that happened in Louisville in 2007 to a young girl.
The audience laughed and the judges seemed OK with his performance. The show could have edited the joke from the show.
I am hoping that the producers of the show did not realize the comedian was referring to a real event.

On a positive note.... I think most of us have a nice long weekend planned. Go out and see a ball game or walk around a park!

Postcard: The Springs Motel, Lexington, KY.

Here is another cool postcard from the Springs Motel, which was just demolished across from Turfland Mall a few months ago.

Postcard: Audubon Memorial Bridge

"This modern vehicular bridge on the U.S. Highway 41, connects Evansville, Ind. and Henderson, KY., was opened to traffic July 7, 1932. Up to now more than 6,000,000 vehicles have used the bridge."

Pete Rose Jr.

I try to avoid mentioning sports on this blog (mostly because I have my other baseball related blog).

It may be of interest to my reader(s) that Pete Rose Jr. is the new hitting coach for the Florence Freedom!

If you are not familiar with the Freedom, they are a minor league team in the northern part of the state, a little south of Cincinnati. They have a very relaxed and casual feel at their very family friendly park.

If you are a casual sports fan who is turned off by the big sports venues and pricey tickets, check out the Freedom. This is especially a good time to catch them, as they have a guy that has been around baseball literally all of his life.

Farmer's Market- Lexington Ky.

http://www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.com/

The farmer's market in near downtown Lexington has had some improvements! Check out their site, and some of my pictures!

Postcard: Log Cabin, Lincoln Homestead Park, Springfield, KY.

Keeneland- Lexington

Keeneland is over but I had a lot of fun there again this April.

To be honest, I am not real knowledgeable about horse racing. I like watching it, and I appreciate it, but I do not exactly get how the entire sport works.

Keeneland is fun even if you are not really familiar with horse racing. I might even compare it to a big party.

You can get a general ticket for $5. I do like to do the buffet thing there at least each season. It is a treat.

You can find more info on Keeneland on their site, but here are some photos I took in April!

Postcard: Beaumont Inn, Harrodsburg, KY.

"Phone 249 - C.C. DEDMAN, Manager
Here, amid century old forest trees, serenely remote from the noise and dust of a work-a-day world, is Beaumont Inn- once the beloved Daughter's College of our mother's and grandmother's day, later Beaumont College. Fashioned in true Colonial style, with spacious halls and broad galleries, it breathes the spirit of peace and of welcome. And there is old country ham and yellow-legged chickens and beaten biscuits served in a way that suggests another and perhaps a better day. Come and let us bid you welcome. Rooms with or without bath."

This postcard, canceled in 1949 and carrying a 1 cent stamp was sent from a son to his mother in Kansas. He says that it is supposed to be one of the 10 best places to eat in the US.

This postcard left Kentucky for Kansas in 1949 and returned in 2010.

High Point, NC Giant Chest of Drawers

This town has a giant chest of drawers! Check it out!

Heritage USA Fort Mill, SC.

I don't have a ton to say about Heritage USA in all. I should admit that I think it is fascinating. There is a lot of odd history tied to the place.

I knew we would be driving through the area late one night, but I still put the address on our travel map. I would hate to be close and not drive by.

Growing up in a very religious area, Jim and Tammy Bakker were household names. Everyone knew about them, and many families watched their show. I remember it being on our TV very early in the morning before I would get ready and catch the school bus. In our area, PTL was a respected program.

It was a bit mainstream too. I remember celebrities being on the show. I recall Tammy doing an interview with Mr. T.

You can find the history of Heritage USA all over the net. You can also find all sorts of recent photos of what was once known as Heritage USA all over the place. Here are mine.

We stopped by here well after dark one evening, and even though I had looked at some of the photos online, I was not sure of what to expect.

The main hotel was purchased by a group called Morning Star Ministries in 2004. They have tried to market it as a Christian type event center starting around 2007 and an assisted living facility. Here are their links:

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000011803

and

http://towerlife.org/

It seems that the buildings current status is in limbo.

We stopped by and took a couple of photos. We were quickly approached by a very stealthy security guard who frankly scared me at first. She was a little suspicious of us taking photos at this time of night. I explained to her that I grew up watching Jim and Tammy, and I just wanted to stop by and get some pictures. We ended up chatting a bit with the very pleasant security guard, her name was Becky. She told us where the Upper Room was still located, and she encouraged us to come back during the day, as much of the place is easier to see. I think the security there spends a lot of time chasing kids away, especially in the later evening and night. Becky ended up being very nice, and I am glad we met her.

We did go by the Upper Room. There is a for sale sign in front of it. There is a group trying to preserve it. Check out their site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeritageUSA/

This is one of those things that I have a little trouble wrapping my head around. I remember Jim Bakker's vision of Heritage USA being a sort of Christian Disneyland. A lot of people contributed a lot of work, time, effort and hope into seeing this place become a reality. You can look at it as a fantasy place that almost materialized, or as a lie that was doomed for failure from the beginning. Either way, a lot of people tried to make it work, and I think it is amazing that over 20 years after it formally closed up, there are still hopeful people trying to revive it.

Random Thoughts On Friday

We took a road trip with some other friends recently. We covered St. Louis (I have an entry up on that) and both Kansas City areas. I will get some posts up on those very underrated areas soon. We also drove through Independence Missouri which was very interesting.

In the Kentucky area, we went to the Fort Harrod settlers reenactment event last weekend. There wasn't a big crowd, I am sure because of the weather, but this was a really fun event, in a great little town. They are having an art/music/book event this weekend.

http://harrodsburgfirst.com/

Again, check out my friend Jeremy's Frankfort site. I love the way it is set up and organized. I might try to reorganize this site a bit like his. I also might just start some separate blogs for Owensboro, Berea, Lexington, and maybe a few other towns in an effort to document old photos and histories of those great areas. I am at the very least going to start tagging my entries on this site.

Mars Bluff, SC.

In 1958 the US Air Force accidentally dropped a bomb here. Seriously, I did not make that up!

It is a little hard to find, but you can still see the area if you walk through a short trail in the woods.

A near by museum also has some fragments of the bomb.

One guy lost his home, but no one was killed.

St. Louis MO.

Growing up in small town Kentucky, a place like St. Louis, in my mind, was about as foreign as any place not in our solar system. I had no concept of a place like it.

I went there twice at different times growing up. I went there once with a friend's family to watch 4th of July fireworks. It was exciting to see them with the Arch in the background.

Another time I went with some friends to a concert.

Other than seeing the Arch the first time, I don't remember a lot of site seeing. In fact, especially when I went up with my high school friends for the concert, I remember feeling a bit intimidated by the place. I had nothing in my mind that I could compare it to.

Years (OK, decades) and more experiences later, the city doesn't seem so tough.

It is still big and there is a lot going on, but it felt pleasant to me this time.

We didn't have a lot of time, and we had a couple of very specific things we wanted to do. We were downtown next to the Arch the entire time. We parked at our hotel, walked to the Arch and walked to Busch Stadium.

See the photo of the Arch that looks boxed in? I took that one out of my hotel room window!We left our blinds open all night with that view. There is another photo with the Arch and the road next to it. That one was also taken out of my window. I stayed up one night just admiring the view. The stadium was also in view, to the left.

We went to the Arch and took the ride to the top! It is $10 a person to ride one of the egg shaped pods to the top and back down. It is something that must be done in a lifetime. The visitor center is under the Arch. They do have airport like security when you go in but it was quick. It was not that big of an issue.

The visitor center is busy and full. They have a couple of gift shops that were very nice. I got my National Park stamps and postcards at one. The other gift shop was pretty much a candy shop. I did find a cute replica Frozen Charlotte doll there. I also found some cool modern linen postcards here too.

The grounds under the Arch are maintained perfectly. We walked over the morning before we left to get some more pictures, and there were only a few other people walking around casually. It was relaxing.

We walked from the Arch area to the Stadium for a game. We had lunch at Joe Bucks which was great. The area has a lively but not rough game day atmosphere.

There was a great band playing at a bar (I did not catch the band's name but they sounded better than most bar bands. They were in tune!).

Savannah, GA.

We tried to think of another town similar to Savannah.

I think, when you travel, you try to match an area in your mind with somewhere else you have been before.

We simply could not do it with Savannah.

The water, the bridge and the fog reminded us of San Francisco. Savannah is more manageable though.

It does have a bit of a mysterious feel, comparable to Salem. That comparison really doesn't work either. The town is bigger, and the history is more established. It feels more current.
Savannah is unique. I cannot think of another place that is similar.

We only had a couple of days in the area, and we wanted to make the most of it. There were a ton of things we wanted to do and see. A co-worker friend used to live here and made many suggestions.

The main suggestion was to eat a lot of local food. No problem. To be honest though, I am not one to travel for food. I know a lot of people who put dining at the top of their list for reasons to travel.

I look at eating on vacation as a pleasant necessity. I would rather spend half an hour eating at a local sandwich shop and 2 hours site seeing than 2 and a half hours at a notable restaurant. My time on vacation is more valuable to me than that.

Still, we made time to hit a couple of nice places.

At the suggestion of some locals, we spent $11 each at Windows, the restaurant at the downtown Hyatt. For 11 bucks, you can have their buffet. This included an amazing sweet tea.

For the record, ALL sweet tea in Savannah is amazing. I think there must me a law in Savannah that restaurants must have perfect, fresh sweet tea. I would go back here for the sweet tea alone.

Windows was a nice place all around. I had some great crab soup, chicken, and salad. PLUS, they have an entire wall that is a window looking out. The bridge photo posted was taken from my seat inside of Windows.

The other great restaurant we ate at (again, a nice affordable buffet with sweet tea!) was the Pirate House. The meal was great. Oddly, they had some BBQ on the buffet that rivals any. They had some greens and pie that was perfect too, but they did their BBQ right.

Savannah Jim (one of our trolley drivers) told us that there were two pits in the Pirate House that pirates used for kidnapping! Savannah Jim was right, there were two pits inside! There is a pirate at the Pirate House that gives tours of the place too! I am glad we went to the Pirate House.

We went by the Mercer house, famous for its associations with Johnny Mercer and also for a murder later that inspired the film and book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Johnny Mercer is mentioned everywhere! There is a cool statue, and our trolley drives sang and played "Moon River" more than once. It was actually very pleasant!

We stopped by the small shop that is entirely devoted to "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." I think is is so exciting that an entire store is devoted to a book! One book!

There are many other houses here to check out. The former homes of Flannery O'Connor and Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the girl scouts) are here.

We spent a lot of time on a trolley tour this time around. We spent more time on the trolley this time around for a couple of reasons.

We arrived in Savannah on a very rainy and cloudy day. We planned on doing a haunted/ghost type tour that evening. We changed our mind at the last minute, because of the weather.

The concierge at the Hyatt recommended a trolley ghost tour. Not only that, but he helped us get a great deal on a historic trolley tour the next day!

I think this was our 1st ghost trolley tour ever. We usually do the lantern thing. I do prefer walking on the side walks and taking late tours like this on foot. It feels more authentic and creepy. The trolley felt like a safe bet, considering the weather..

That's a personal preference though. The trolley tour was still very fun. This tour was a bit more theatrical than tours we have taken in other towns, which was an enjoyable change. Our tour guide was witty and comically creepy (she was almost a female version of the Crypt Keeper). There was a stop on the tour when we went into a small pirate themed theater for a short presentation from a period dressed actor. This was effective and fun.

The next day, we took the historic trolley tour around town. This was well worth the ticket price. There were 15 trolley stops and pick up areas around town. The drivers talked non stop about the sites and places of interest. It was very informative. Plus, with the on/off privileges thing going on, you could hear about the sites and get off for a closer look. We took the tour around once, and then took it around again getting on and off several times. Savannah Jim was one of the many drivers we really liked. If you are going to Savannah, check out the orange and green trolley tour guys.

http://www.trolleytours.com/savannah/

The river front shopping area is a lot of fun here in town. In addition to finding a bunch of t-shirt and postcard type shops, there are some amazing candy shops around. They all were very attractive with fun to watch furnishings (one candy shop had a conveyor belt transporting pieces of candy to a display from the back of the shop to the front). Most were giving away samples as you walked in.

This is a great town for statues and monuments too. In addition to historic cemeteries, there are some nice war monuments, and some great statues. Check out my photo of the Johnny Mercer statue and my photo of the torch monument from the Olympics.

All of the locals and our tour guides gave a lot of praise to local Paula Deen and the Savannah College of Art and Design. It seems the College has restored a lot of historic buildings and really made some places look better than they did previously. I heard nothing but praise for those guys. I think Paula Deen is just popular everywhere. I love her.

The town feels very historic, but also very happening. There is the history and the past. There is also the now. You feel the history here, but you also feel like more is going to come out of the area. There are names of legends from the past who have lived here- and you also hear the names of legends in the making.

And, as the area moves forward, there is a deep respect for the past. I think that is what I enjoyed most about the place. Walking down the streets you see well preserved homes and park areas left and right- all well maintained.

This is a very attractive town.